The importance of upselling add-on treatments for your bottom line

The phrase “work smarter, not harder” is nothing new, but how can salon owners do this?

When I started my career in the industry more than 30 years ago, it was perfectly acceptable to squeeze a half-leg wax in for a client while another was relaxing with their face mask on. Today, it’s a definite no-no.

So, how can we make every minute in salon count because, let’s face it, time is money.

It’s about making each customer more valuable to your business while at the same time giving them something that’s good value for money – ideally visible results and a USP or point of difference.

Upselling and link selling are nothing new. We know the importance of selling courses of treatments and clients buying homecare products from us rather than high-street stores or online.

Treatment add-ons allow us to work smarter, bring a USP and give clients something which is new and exciting without having to spend any extra time in treatment.

It’s a mini, results-driven treatment that does all the work for you while your client enjoys the service they were originally booked in for, such as a manicure, pedicure or wax.

In fact, any treatment where your client is with you for a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes can have a treatment add-on.

They also give you the opportunity to talk skincare with your customers and who knows, you may even convert a few into new facial clients?

Did I mention the homecare opportunities too? Add-on treatments give plenty of scope to sell products, more than you could ever dream of.

Kirsti Shuba is co-founder of British skincare brand Katherine Daniels Cosmetics, which she founded with Donna Tait. Shuba grew up in the beauty industry, trained as a therapist and has worked for 30 years as distributor, trainer and now product developer.

Read Shuba's piece on how sleep deprivation is ageing your clients' skin.